Samford Planetarium is Site of BAS Meetings

Samford University's Sciencenter Planetarium will host a special informational meeting of the Birmingham Astronomical Society [BAS] Tuesday, May 18, at 7 p.m. The program is designed for new and prospective members and amateur astronomers.

BAS members will provide instruction and hands-on help on how to use a telescope. Subjects will include: naked eye observation, star charts and planispheres, night sky orientation, binoculars, telescopes and mounts, eye techniques to see more, and examples of planets and deep sky objects as seen through an amateur telescope.

The monthly "star party" will be held May 22 at 45 minutes before dark, about 8 p.m., at a site on Mount Chandler in St. Clair County.

The Samford Planetarium is the site of all BAS meetings, which meet monthly year-round, except December. The Planetarium is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, such as the star projector, which is used to review constellations and nightsky motions.

For information on the meeting and directions to the star party, call the planetarium director George Atchely at 726-4139 or check the BAS Web site at www.bas-astro.com.